Submitted on Sunday 26th April 2020
Rejected on Tuesday 18th August 2020
Current status: Rejected
Rejection code: irrelevant (see below for details)
3rd party power to effect an investigation into sex abuse of vulnerable adults
The change would sanction the reputable concerns of a 3rd party with knowledge, evidence or first hand observations of a vulnerable adult having been sexually groomed and abused by a predator so that their concerns are immediately progressed to an urgent and full police investigation of the suspect.
Most of these vulnerable adult victims from every level of education, intelligence and social standing have been so meticulously groomed and programmed that they do not even recognise their abuser as a sexual predator and so would never seek to expose them as such, enabling the perpetrator to safely continue his/her abuse in the full knowledge that it is currently only the victim themselves who can legally effect an investigation and subsequent prosecution based on their own testimony.
You can't sign this petition because it was rejected. But you can still comment on it here at Repetition.me!
The Government e-Petitions Team gave the following reason:
The Government is responsible for setting the law about what constitutes an offence, including offences against vulnerable adults, but deciding whether to investigate suspected offences is a matter for the police, and bringing charges is a matter for the Crown Prosecution Service. We can only accept petitions that request actions that can be taken by the Government or House of Commons.
Police investigations and criminal charges can be launched on the basis of a report by a third party. The College of Policing has published links to the current guidance on investigating allegations involving vulnerable adults, and the ACPO (2012) Guidance on Safeguarding and Investigating the Abuse of Vulnerable Adults notes the complexity of safeguarding vulnerable adults given the need to balance harm prevention with supporting individuals to maintain control over their lives:
Safeguarding vulnerable adults from abuse is a complex area of work. The government policy objective is to prevent and reduce the risk of significant harm to vulnerable adults from abuse or other types of exploitation, while supporting individuals to maintain control over their lives. This includes being able to make choices without coercion.
This does not mean that the police do not investigate cases where the alleged victim either doesn’t accept that they are a victim, or doesn’t support a criminal investigation/prosecution. The police and Crown Prosecution Service have developed policies on “evidence led” investigations and prosecutions that don’t rely on the victim giving evidence.
There was a recent inspection on this approach which you might find of interest: www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmicfrs/publications/evidence-led-domestic-abuse-prosecutions/
You could start a petition calling on the Government to review how reports of 3rd party abuse of vulnerable adults are handled by the police, with a view to ensuring vulnerable adults are adequately protected, as this is something the Government could do.
3.14.132.214 Fri, 03 May 2024 17:05:00 +0100
